The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1887-05-14

r,., o,d Homestead Visited by Cyclone
and Nearly Destroyeh---Mr. La'nar's
speech rleases William--A Picture
of the southern Planter of the
Old HegIme---0ther Thines,
..-s,tsss4 eg s9Flisl Egfgsneatj

Misery loFts culHFbuS, anu tlefe
are 40 many miserable people that
raekon that | had better give them
some comfort by telling of my own
misfortunes. We are still in the land
of the living and are reasonably
thankful, but last Friday night a
storm came over these parts, and the
thunder rolled and the lightning
flashed, and just such a display of
electricity | do not remember ever to
have seen. ] love to look at these
rrapd and awful exhibitions of na-
lurc's wondrons power, and so |
sometimes sit out in the piazza and
gather the children around roe Just
to show them that can be calm and
serene under such manifestations.
Well, there is a huge old time
honored Spanish oak just at the
corner of the house. its limbs reach
out fat and wide, for it has been
topped long years ago, and the chill
dren's swing was there, and its album
dant shade gave ample shelter from
The evening sun. Two long limbs
stretched out over the roof of our
humble cottage and almost touched
the chimney top, and two more EN-
powered the long piazza. ] have
been study ing that tree for years, for
it was very near the house, but its
roots were in the banks of one Of the
terraces and | did not see how it
could bring danger. But man pro
poses and God disposes. The storm
that soon followed this electric dis
pgy struck our premises down at
the meadow and the majestic oaks
surrendered and fell headlong--torn
up by the ro0ts-all falling towards
the house, and the grand old oak sur
rendered, land fell with a tremen-
dous crash upon the house, tearing
holes in the roof and dislodging the
long veranda from Its tasteniilgs and
sweeping away the wooden blinds.
In the same breath it took the roof
from the smokehouse in, the back
yard and carried it away, and turned
the buggy house over and fiattened it
out, and laid waste the orchard, and
tore up the grove of ancient trees in
the spring lot, and played havoc in
Its course all around our devoted
premises. Imagine the feelings of Il
family of helpless women aud chill
dren under such perils. Imagine
the shrieks of alarm and despair
when these giant oaks came crashing
down upon the roof above you, and
piercing holes in the shingles and
sheeting,and the pitiless storm comes
driving in. Imagine the children
tlihging to their parents and the pa
rents clinging to the children and
lowering them and breathing pray
ers to heaven for mercy and protec-
tion.
wei, it would have been just such
. scthe in our country home if we
lau Been there, but you see we moved
to town just two months ago and
escaped the wreck. There was no
living thing in or about that house
but two poor deserted brindle cats,
and they are there yet. We are all
grateful now and reconciled to our
change of base. | don't know how
long we will be reconciled, for 1t is
the cyclone season and may come
along here through Gainesville and
play havoc. The bad is mixed up
with the good everywhere, and we
have to live in faith and hope where
ever we may be. We go out home
now like pilgrims 60 to Mecca. We
spend the day and peruse the fields
and the meadows and the springs and
branches and the creek and the
orchard and the flsh pond, and make
huge bouquets of honeysuckle and
crap apple blossoms and wild lilies
ana sweet shrubs and sweet-williams
ana devils shoe string. The good old
nome looks pretty now, and our
younger children love 1t as they will
never love home again. Ten years
ol their brightest, earliest life were
spent there, and they were happier
IMAM they will ever be again. for they
knew no care and had latitude and
longitude and frolicked with nature,
anu TO them the morning sun
Never rose a wink too soon,
Nor brought too long a day."
The children raised in the country
10 have the best time, there Is no
uonbt about 1t, and the attachments
tney form to the scenes and sports OF
'he'r early youth last longer and